Dengue cases at an all-time high after 2 years: Experts

• The Health Ministry has declared special dengue control days today (30) and tomorrow (31)
• 75,765 suspected dengue cases had been reported by December 26, 2022

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama  

Dengue cases are at an all-time high after two years in Sri Lanka, Sri Jayawardenepura University Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Dengue Research Centre Director, and Medical Science Department Faculty Head Prof. Neelika Malavige said.   She said what we are experiencing now has happened during each dengue season and even in pre-COVID situations. 

 Therefore, the Health Ministry has declared special dengue control days after over 70,000 cases were reported in 2022.  

Accordingly, the Health Ministry yesterday announced special Dengue Prevention Days for today (30) and tomorrow (31).  

The announcement was made due to an increase in the reporting of dengue-positive cases from areas around the country during the past four weeks.  

However, 75,765 suspected dengue cases had been reported by December 26, 2022. This is more than a two-fold increase in the number of dengue-positive cases reported compared with the last year.  

It was revealed that there has been a vast increase in the spread of the virus around the country. There is a trend toward hospitalizing 200–300 patients a day. The situation seems to be increasing, and the number of positive cases will increase in January, which would be a huge threat for the country.  

As revealed by entomological tests, female Aedes mosquito density, which helps spread the virus, is considerably high in certain areas.  

Therefore, the Ministry has decided to announce Friday and Saturday as special days for dengue prevention.  
A total of 5,416 dengue positive cases were reported in November 2022, and 75,765 cumulative cases were reported throughout the year.  

• The number of dengue cases reported in November, 2021 was 4,561 and the cumulative number of cases reported for the said year was 35,924.